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From a scout's eye A view from an MLB scout on UConn second baseman LJ Mazzilli: "I think he's having a lot of fun playing this spring and it's fun to watch when a kid can really enjoy just going out there and playing the game. He's a great player. ... I think sometimes the draft gets in the way of the fact that the guy has to go out there and play the game. ... I've seen a lot of maturity out of him and he's such a solid kid that it's nice to see him have fun out there. ... For LJ, things happened the right way even though he was disappointed and he did not sign last year; I think it has worked out. (His leadership skills) are a sign of a kid maturing and getting the most out of his experience at UConn. ... (His defense) is a tribute to how hard he's worked on his game, and certainly he's done a very nice job of improving his defense."-- WILLIAM S. PAXTON

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STORRS -- LJ Mazzilli could be driving in runs in the warmth of the Florida sunshine this spring.

If the 22-year-old Greenwich native had signed with the Minnesota Twins, after being taken in the ninth round of last June's MLB draft, he would likely be wearing a Fort Myers Miracle uniform and playing high Class-A ball.

Instead, Mazzilli was wearing a UConn uniform on a chilly Tuesday afternoon at J.O. Christian Field and poking a shot through the left side of the infield with the bases loaded to drive in a runner in the sixth inning of an eventual 5-4 win over UMass.

"Every single person that works their entire life to play baseball at the next level wants to go play," the UConn senior second baseman said. "I wanted to go play pro ball, but it just didn't seem right and I'm not upset with the decision, because everything happens for a reason."

After being projected as an early-round draft pick, Mazzilli's stock fell and he lasted until the 280th pick overall. Fortunately, the son of former major leaguer Lee Mazzilli had another option while negotiating with the Twins.

"I wasn't sweating really because I didn't expect him to be back," UConn coach Jim Penders said. "When he was drafted in the ninth round, he had called that day and said, `Coach, don't give away my scholarship just yet.'

"Of course, we were ecstatic to have him back. I just wanted what he wanted."

Once he made a decision to stay in school, Mazzilli decided what he wanted to do was become a more complete ballplayer.

Already blessed with the bat -- he has led UConn in almost every offensive category the past two seasons -- Mazzilli wanted to prove his worth in the field.

"As soon as I found out I was going to come back to school, I didn't want to stay home," said Mazzilli, who joined the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod League for their final 10 games. "I wanted to get up there and start working right away. I worked with their infield coach and I had a pretty good summer offensively, too."

Mazzilli batted .275 with one homer and seven RBIs for the Braves in 10 games while also playing shortstop.

"He's a very good hitter, he's an intelligent hitter and he uses the whole field."

Mazzilli's fielding drills also included countless hours working with family friend Bobby Valentine along with volunteer UConn assistant Chris Podeszwa.

"I'm the first one to admit what I have to work on, and last year my footwork wasn't the best at second base," Mazzilli said. "Sometimes I would cause a lot of throwing errors and I really concentrated on working on that this off-season. I think it's showing, so I am just going to keep it up.

"It starts with a lot of mental confidence first. When you get the ball hit to you, you want to make plays. And I feel like I want the ball hit to me every time this year."

There has been a marked improvement in his glove work with only five errors and a .974 fielding percentage this year compared to a team-high 20 errors and .937 percentage last spring.

"He struggled a little bit at times last year making the routine ones," Penders said. "I think he's done a much better job of paying attention to detail and getting enough repetitions so there are no routine plays until the play is completed."

In addition to Mazzilli's maturation on the field, Penders has noticed a big change in his demeanor in the clubhouse.

"He's much more team-aware," the coach said. "He's always been a team guy, but he's much more aware when another player might be struggling. ... This past weekend when we were down against South Florida, he brought the whole dugout together. Never in a million years would I have thought he would do that as a sophomore or a junior, but it was great to see him as a team leader as a senior."

Mazzilli hopes to lead the Huskies (25-16), who play three games at Notre Dame this weekend, to a Big East championship and even back to the NCAA tournament.

"I think we are slowly getting there," he said. "We have some ups and we have some downs, but we just have to find who we are and take off."

And then, Mazzilli can leave for his future at the next level.

"I'm excited to see how far he can take it," Penders said about Mazzilli's pro potential, "but he has some games to win for us first."